Take Me Back To The Start
by PixieFairy15
Summary: Written for Swan Queen Week Summer 2014 Day 3 - Amnesia. Post-Neverland. Established SwanQueen. The sound of beeping woke her up. Little, measured beeps.


The sound of beeping woke her up. Little, measured beeps. Slowly, painstakingly, she opened her eyes, then quickly shut them again. The light above her head burned into her eyes, making her see stars beneath her eyelids. She tried again to open her eyes, and found that she could just about squint. She was horizontal on what she assumed to be… what was the word? Soft and raised and flat, and… ah yes, a bed. She was lying on a bed, with a light shining above her head. There was some sort of material covering her body. She tried to move a hand to feel it, but a tugging sensation stopped her. She looked down and saw… something. A needle, that was it. A needle, with a tube going up to meet a bag of something yellow.

_Yellow_. Something she liked was yellow. Something…

Her senses filtered back in as someone opened the door to wherever she was. The man was tall, blonde, with a long white coat, and he took one look at her and called out behind him "She's awake!"

At that, someone hurled themselves into the room and grabbed roughly at her, pulling her close to their body. It was a woman, a beautiful woman, with dark brown hair and eyes the colour of chocolate, and a small scar on her upper lip. She frowned as the woman looked at her, seeming relieved.

"Oh Emma," the voice was rich and lustrous, and laced with worry and guilt, "I'm so sorry."

She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice wouldn't make any sounds. Obviously realising her intention, the woman brought a glass of water to her lips. She swallowed, and coughed to try and clear her throat.

"Who…is…Emma?" She managed, her voice croaky from disuse. The woman's mouth fell open in shock. She looked towards the man, who frowned and scribbled something down on a board.

The woman looked back at her.

"Your name is Emma," Her voice trembled, and a single drop of moisture leaked from one eye. She drew in a shaky breath and continued, "And my name is Regina."

"Regina." Emma liked the way the name sounded on her tongue. "And I'm…Emma?" Regina nodded.

"Emma." The name sounded strange, yet vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it a long time ago. But she couldn't have heard it a long time ago, she'd only just woken up, hadn't she?

The man came to stand on the other side of her bed. "Emma, I'm Doctor Whale. Could I ask you to just lift up your arm?" Emma tried, and found she could.

"Good. Now, your leg?" Legs were a little more difficult, but Emma managed it anyway.

"And now, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Doctor Whale, what is the purpose of this…" Regina started, her tone annoyed, but the doctor cut her off. "You'll see in just a moment. Emma, finally, what colour is the sky?"

"Ummm, blue."

The doctor scribbled something down, then gestured for Regina to come with him as he moved away from the bed.

"It would appear that Emma has retained all of her motor functions and schemas. It's just the damage to the prefrontal cortex I'm worried about. It's rare we get complete memory loss. A few days, perhaps yes, but this is something I personally have never encountered." The words were low, but Emma could just about strain to hear what he was saying.

"Can it be reversed? Will she ever get her memories back?" Regina's voice shook.

"We have no way of knowing. We can try to jog her memory by talking about her life, or by taking her to places or objects that might hold some significance to her."

"Do you think magic might help?"

Whale shook his head. "That's not really my area of expertise, Madam Mayor. Perhaps Gold would have a solution?"

"I despise that imp. However, you might be right. I'll ask." She turned, and strode back to Emma's bedside.

"Emma, I have to go and do something, but I'll be back very soon, don't worry," she kissed her forehead, "try to get some rest." She took one last look at the blonde, then hurried out the door, shutting it after her.

* * *

It was a long time before Regina returned. The doctors in the hospital poked and prodded and took blood samples and conducted scans and test after test. She gathered that there was nothing wrong with her, apart from the fact that she could only remember things that had happened after she woke up. When she did return though, it was just as Emma was being guided back into her hospital bed. She strode in, and demanded the nurse leave.

"Emma, I need you to drink this for me." She handed her a crystal tumbler filled with some sort of bright blue liquid. Emma took it and examined it suspiciously.

"Why?" She sniffed it, and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Please." Emma looked up at Regina's voice. She sounded tired and broken, and her lips trembled as if she might cry. For some reason it moved Emma, and she raised the glass to her lips. After taking one brief sip, her face contorted. It was a truly vile concoction. Deciding just to go for it, she pinched her nose and downed it.

Images, voices, sounds, smells flashed before her closed eyes. Henry, turning up at her door all those years ago. The first kiss they shared. Regina's face the first time she saw her. Neverland, covering the moon with their magic. Standing before an alter holding Regina's hand as they said their vows. Snow and Charming. The first time she ordered a hot chocolate at Granny's. Her beloved yellow bug. Neal. Little Neal. Zelena. The Enchanted Forest. A black car driving towards her and slamming on her breaks.

Her eyes snapped open. "Is my bug okay?"

Relief broke over Regina's face. "Honestly, you lose all your memories, and the first thing you think about is your car?" She pulled Emma close and squeezed so hard she thought her ribs would break.

"How did you do it?"

"Well, do you remember how Gold got Belle's memories back? He had to get her to drink a potion from the blue fairy in a vessel that meant something to her. So, I had to get the potion from that bloody blue fairy, and let me tell you, she is the most difficult, conniving little…"

"Okay, okay," Emma laughed, "After that. Then what happened?"

"Well the next thing I had to do was find something you were particularly attached to, which wasn't easy. You don't even have a favourite mug, so I had to settle for something I hoped would hold some significance for you. The tumbler you had when we first met, the night you turned up with Henry on my doorstep."

"Woah." Emma was slightly stunned. "How did you know it was going to work?"

Regina shrugged. "I didn't. I suppose if it hadn't, I would have had to make you fall in love with me again."

"Well, I for one am glad you didn't have to."

Regina kissed the top of her head gently. "You really scared me." She whispered, but Emma heard her.

"I'm sorry. How about you take me home and I'll show you just how sorry I am?"

"I'll take you home," Regina agreed, "But I think you deserve some rest after your little bout of amnesia."


End file.
